Development and animals with picky habitats tend to be the reasons most animals dwindle down until they go on the endangered list. This is why Gannon Pratt is working with wildlife biologist Derek Norts and UMFK’s Gary Shaperio to protect the wood turtles found here in northern Maine.

Here at UMPI, students have done great things on campus. They do research, projects or other work related to their major. But sometimes students get to go outside their comfort zones. Recently, a group of UMPI students did just that. They wrote plays and discovered a new love of theater. Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, was when people got to see the results of the students’ hard work and new skills. These were the nights of UMPI’s first playwriting festival.

It’s getting late and most offices on campus have closed for the night. But not everyone has gone home. Papers are still being graded, classrooms are being cleaned up. The lights that are still on cast shadows of a long day. The work continues and night melts into day, days into semesters. From up high, a message from the chancellor trickles down through the campuses. A projected deficit looms over the system. Faced with cuts, targets are painted on the backs of faculty and staff as well as their programs. In spite of changes beyond their control, they keep on working, they keep on teaching and they keep on taking care of their students while they can.

Fans first fell in love with J.K. Rowling and her wizarding world in 1997 when “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was first published. Over the years, the seven book Harry Potter series transformed into the best selling book series of all time. The first film adaption of the series came out in 2001 and the Harry Potter following grew in size. Now, almost 20 years after the release of the first book, the fan base will grow again.

Makeup and beauty products are a part of our lives from a very young age. Many women remember watching female family members putting on makeup and getting ready for an ordinary day or a night out. It is something little girls feel is a rite of passage into adulthood. As children we play with fake makeup. We usually start with painting our nails, and then we are allowed, slowly, to use more and more makeup. As boys grow older they too begin to use beauty products like scented body wash, body spray and cologne.

Trisha Torres had volunteered at her local shelter, on the dog side, for years. It was Christmas Eve of 2012 and this time her friend had come with her young daughter who wanted to get a look at all of the kitties. In one cage an affectionate cat stood with her face against the cage. Her head continually bobbed and she whacked her head against the cage repeatedly just so she could get petted. Torres recognized the cat’s symptoms and felt that she would be the cat’s best opportunity for finding a good home.

A career in law enforcement is certainly an exciting and brave one. When working in law enforcement you can never be too sure what your day will bring. You need to be prepared for whatever may come your way, “and don’t forget to laugh,” Alicia Royal, an emergency communications specialist for the Maine State Police, says. There is no doubt that law enforcement is an intense and sometimes scary job, but you still have to keep your sense of humor and look on the bright side.

Attending college is a major milestone for any student. For a lot of students today, finances, distance and busy lives prevent them from taking the “traditional” college route. For students facing these obstacles, the Houlton Higher Education Center can help. The Houlton Center provides the courses and supportive environment needed to get your degree.